Vol. 79 No. 16

rIGHtInG HIS WrOnGS FAt MIKe reFLeCtS On HIS dArK pASt And LOOKS tO A BrIGHter Future Full story on p. 2

py p a H

s!

day i l o H

GIVING THEM A VOICE

ONLINE Find out how Georgia State is helping the homeless this holiday season.

A LOOK InSIde ATLANTAʼS HOMeLeSS neWSpAper Full story on p. 3

Volunteer today!

THE SIGNAL THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY SERVING THE STUDENTS SINCE 1933

VOLUME 79 | ISSUE 16

❚ ONLINE EXCLUSIVE ▲ Students host crime prevention townhall ▲ twilight mania is not losing its bite: what gives? ▲ Whatʼs next for the Atlanta Hawks?

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

WrItten COnSCIOuSneSS

Student organization Conscious Collective form poetic family aLICIa JohNSoN Copy editor

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Whether in a meeting, forum or local poetry night, members of the student organization Conscious Collective bring every part of themselves.

C.C., as called by the members, committ body, mind and soul to their delivery and perception in and out of the Georgia State community.

Through poetry, they have developed a free and open environment for themselves and other students to be creative.

All topics are open for discussion in this group. Ranging from domestic violence to celibacy, the more authentic, the better.

The ultimate goal: to bring awareness and a place to express emotions in the best way students know how.

US!

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▲ Student entrepreneur does it again: see what heʼs up to now

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The sights, sounds and flavors of Coasta Rica

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Defense shines in six-game winning streak

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ChrIS ShaTTuCK | The SIGNaL

Kelton Hill charges back from a troubling summer

“

Our offense is created by our defense. You can’t run and score points if you don’t get stops.

--Coach Ron Hunter

“

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Full story on p. 13

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aLexIS SMIth Staff Writer

“If I had kids, I would’ve trained them to be athletes like me.”

Despite being a part of the ever-growing homeless population of Atlanta for some 20 years, Fat Mike - the name that he is known by in the community – still has a strong passion for sports. “I played all sports, especially basketball. I loved to play basketball.”

But Fat Mike doesn’t play much basketball these days.

Speaking with a slight tint of melancholy in his voice, Fat Mike said he has done a lot of reminiscing lately on his once fast-paced life, fueled by drugs and alcohol but now detoured into the streets.

Born and raised in Atlanta in 1950 to what he described as “true Christian parents,” Fat Mike said he had a relatively normal childhood. After graduating from West Fulton high school, Fat Mike had a job, a girlfriend and a plan to move out of his parents’ house.

He eventually moved in with a friend during a time in which everything was “going good.”

But after a few years and several jobs, things started to fall apart.

Following the breakup with his girlfriend, whom he says he planned on marrying, Fat Mike was lost.

By this time, well into his twenties, he took a job with his father’s church, which he managed to hold for a couple years.

Around this time, he met another “little chick,” whom he began to experiment harder drugs with after they moved in together.

It was during this time in the mid1980s that he made the mistake, as he called it, of “snorting some cocaine.”

But by the late ‘80s, Fat Mike went from simply using drugs to selling them.

“And I fell into the trap like a fool. I should’ve known better.”

He began with selling marijuana amongst other drugs such as speed – and felt trapped. As he sank deeper into the world of drugs and alcohol, he began freebasing cocaine or inhaling it in its purest form.

“It was a turning point in my life,” he said. “Everything started going downhill.”

As everyone surrounding Fat Mike began using drugs, his habit began to become quite expensive.

“I kept food on the table, I kept the bills paid and I supported my girlfriend – but I was using drugs.”

Unfortunately, Fat Mike’s temper got the best of him, causing him to quit his job at church and propelled him further into the lifestyle of a full-time dealer.

Sometime between 1986 and 1987, he was introduced to crack.

“It was cheaper,” Fat Mike recalled. “It was only five to $10 for a hit – cocaine was about $25-$50.”

He continued using crack, alongside his girlfriend, while they lived in an apartment in the Bankhead area. Shortly afterwards, they relocated to another side of town, met up with some old friends and began selling drugs there. He and his ‘clique’ had an assortment of hustles, he says – including gambling and prostitution.

“Some of my boys were so-called ‘pimps,’ and they had their own thing going on in Alabama.” According to Fat Mike, him and his ‘clique’ were pulling in an es-

Office of Civic Engagement provides volunteer opportunities to help the homeless ALSO: Students to host crime prevention townhall

Fighting the past “ Looking to the future One homeless man’s battle to overcome a troubled past

aLeXIS SmITh / The SIGNaL

Fat Mike rests on the corner where just a few months ago he lay sprawled out, plaged with gout, waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

timated $5,000 and split it amongst four people. “I had one friend who made probably $10,000 a week.”

“We were eating the best food, going to the best clubs and traveling – just living the fast life.” By his own account, Fat Mike continued this lifestyle for some 10 years.

Although he always kept in constant contact with his family, they never questioned where he was getting such large amounts of money from – but they definitely knew.

“They knew I was hustling, especially my dad,” Fat Mike said. “He always says, ‘son, if you ever get locked up, don’t expect me to come get you. Your mom might, but not me.’”

Even the death of his mother in ’94, which Fat Mike says hurt him deeply, had no effect on his illicit activities – he continued to use and sell.

The fast-paced lifestyle in which Fat Mike had become so accustomed to finally caught up with him in 1996. Fat Mike, along with his clique, pulled an armed robbery at a local loan company and was caught by police.

With the arrest and sentencing, his

girlfriend left him, which he says didn’t surprise him much.

And, true to his word, his father never came to his rescue or so much as visited Fat Mike while he was incarcerated.

“My father never came and saw me.

Actually, nobody did,” Fat Mike said.

But while serving his sentence out in prison, his father fell ill and died in 2005, without so much as a word with his son.

Fat Mike was later released in 2006.

After his release, Fat Mike was employed at a waste management company for about three years, until the company was sold and Fat Mike was laid-off. With the small amount of money he had to his name, he lived in a hotel room at the Intown Suite for six months – until his money ran out, forcing him to become yet another face living on the streets.

He did find another job as a security guard at a local pizza joint for a short period of time, but, as a felon, Fat Mike was not allowed to own a firearm and was laid off due to the restaurant’s need for an armed security guard.

Once again, he was homeless.

“The last two to three years have been

At one point, I wanted to give up. Four or five times I’ve thought about suicide – just swallowing a bunch of pills and ending it all.

“

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a struggle,” Fat Mike said.

His struggle worsened in May 2011 when he was found sprawled out in the grass lawn of a neighborhood in Homepark by emergency medical technicians, suffering from a form of arthritis known as gout that plagued his hands, knees and other areas of his body. Diabetes and high blood pressure have also been constant health concerns. Combined with the fact that he was homeless, his dwindling health caused him to enter a deep depression.

“I was just in too much pain, physically and emotionally.”

Wheel chair bound for six months, Fat Mike slept in numerous spots, including the grass, the front yards of abandoned houses and inside empty buildings.

With the help of pain relievers and diabetes medication, Fat Mike is slowly but surely rebuilding his life. He’s back with his church family, who provide him with food and clothing.

“All I have to do is call my outreach pastor Steve up, and he’ll take me to church and drop me back off. They’ve been a good support group for me.”

Fat Mike also spoke of plans to start searching for a job after the Christmas holiday, perhaps another security job.

He also said he wants to lose 50 pounds, which he plans to do by working out five days a week at the gym connected to his church.

“Working out keeps me focused,” Fat Mike said. “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.”

Fat Mike loves to talk about sports – he is an ardent fan of the Lakers and Steelers – but holds many regrets.

“I regret doing drugs and alcohol,” he related. “Alcohol led to me doing drugs. If I could go back, I would’ve never tasted it.”

“I’ve seen what it does to many people in my family, but it wasn’t enough to make me stop at the time,” Fat Mike said, looking down at the pavement in contemplation. “I had two choices: stop using drugs or end up in the ground. So now, I keep myself surrounded by spiritual people; I pray a lot, too. “ Fat Mike said he has considered suicide in the past.

“At one point, I wanted to give up.

Four or five times I’ve thought about suicide – just swallowing a bunch of pills and ending it all.”

But sitting on the ledge where only seven months ago he lay sprawled out waiting to go to the hospital, his eyes beam bope, and a smile stretches across his face,.

“God has a plan for me. He never puts more on you than you can handle.”

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

03

NEWS | THE SIGNAL

Giving them a voice Atlanta Overlook tells the homeless’ side of the story terah boyd Associate News Editor

(Above) One homeless writer, known as Legend, focuses on writing a story for the latest issue of the Atlanta Overlook, which went to print for the fourth time last Friday. (Right) Jeremy Godfey, a Georgia State english professor that manages the Atlanta Overlook and assists Gerlad with the proofreading of a story in the art room of the Mercy Community Church, which doubles as the Overlook’s newsroom. (Bottom) Legend reads a draft of his story with Gerlad. The writing staff is made up of various homeless men and women that sell the papers for a profit.

Terah Boyd/ THE SIGNAL

The courtyard of Mercy Community Church quietly fills up with knit-cap covered heads, each waiting patiently for their turn at fresh coffee. As the Bible study next door lets out, Jeremy Godfrey prepares pens and paper for his writer’s workshop class held inside the church.

The workshops are designed to help the writers that contribute to his newspaper, Atlanta Overlook, fine-tune their writing skills. However, the Overlook is no ordinary newspaper: the entire writing staff of the paper is homeless.

“I prefer the term residentially-challenged,” Gerald, a homeless writer attending the workshop, said. “When you say residentially-challenged, you can always get a smile out of someone.”

Godfrey, an english professor at Georgia State working on his dissertation, has been an active volunteer with homeless-affiliated organizations before creating the Atlanta Overlook.

Godfrey said that “not a lot of people know about street papers in general,” but most major cities in North America and Canada now have papers similar in concept to the Overlook. These papers were what drew Godfrey’s initial inspiration.

“I was in the library researching and came across Nashville’s Contributor, which has been established since 2007, has a monthly circulation of over 150,000, which is incredible,” Godfrey said. “It’s basically a phenomenon.”

Godfrey traveled to Nashville to meet with Tasha French, the Contributor’s executive director, to see how her street paper operated.

“I was like, ‘wow, I could do this’ and got really excited,” Godfrey said.

Godfrey was an active volunteer at Mercy Community Church, and they graciously agreed to partner with him to host the workshops.

Meeting Monday and Thursday mornings, the church workshop hosts seven to twelve homeless people on average. On these days, men and women of varying ages and ethnicities gather around wooden tables in an area that doubles as an art room.

During one of the meetings last Thursday, a woman walked into the room in the middle of the workshop activity, inquiring if this is the place where the homeless people can come and write.

“I’m a writer! I’m a writer!” a woman named Beth, who fell on hard times since she returned to the Atlanta area

from California said. She said she hopes to enroll at Georgia State sometime soon.

Another peculiarity of the paper is that the writers double as newspaper vendors as well, which they sell for a dollar a piece.

“That’s part of the method of empowerment, the way I see it,” Godfrey said. “There’s that one-on-one interaction between the public, passersby and the vendors.” “[This is] a way of reaching a public that views homelessness in a negative light, hopefully bringing those two sides together; the public and the marginalized community,” he continued.

One of the most successful vendors is a homeless man named Steve, who said he is grateful for the Occupy Atlanta protesters because they make such great costumers.

“If you go to a rally with Jeremy, you are going to sell some papers,” Godfrey said. “The people of Occupy Atlanta are ready to hear what we have to say.”

During the workshop last Thursday, the writers and vendors made it clear that they want to make sure their personal distribution of the paper is informative and not perpetuating stereotypes that they say marginalize the homeless.

“Now, [shoppers] have these homeless papers in their face, they see it as a nuisance… they are trying to shop,” Legend said. He is a writer for Overlook that is known for his hand-made jewelry, which he sells in Little Five Points.

He said that he has witnessed overambitious solicitation of the paper in that area. How and where they sell the paper matters, especially if they don’t want to drive costumers away. One concern is weather to promote the paper in areas that are notorious for homeless drug abuse.

“The people that distribute [Overlook] represent the paper,” said Richard, a homeless writer and vendor who is concerned that untactful distribution could hurt Overlook’s image and stain their message.

Even with these dangers, Godfrey believes in the positive impact of the paper on the lives of those who contribute to it.

“I’ve had people who write for the paper come up to me and say, ‘this is really changing my life,’” Godfrey said.

Godfrey has felt the impact as well.

“It’s really helped me rethink my teaching here at Georgia State,” Godfrey said. “How do you build community?

You have so many people from different walks of life walk through the door.

“This is kind of like my life goal,” he added.

04

NEWS | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

Making a connection Students volunteer to help the homeless Manning a homeless shelter may not be the most glamorous way to spend a night, but that has not stopped up to 25 Georgia State students from doing just that on a regular basis.

“It honestly makes me feel so great just to be with these people,” said Vanessa Segura, a marketing major that regularly volunteers at two homeless shelters nearby campus. “I love hanging out with them.”

Besides the relatively straightforward tasks of feeding the homeless and watching over them while they sleep, volunteers are also encouraged to interact and talk with the men and women they help.

“People think that charity is just money and giving material things, but that’s not what it is,” she said. “These people just want attention. They want friends. They want to be considered human beings.”

Led by Rudi Schlosser, a post-grad student, the Catholic Student Association helps coordinate volunteer opportunities for Georgia State students at the Central Night Shelter and a shelter within the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic church located just a few blocks away from the edge of campus near the Capitol Building.

All together, these shelters house and feed about 100 men every night from the start of November until the end of March.

He said the group welcomes all students, regardless of religious inclination, to come out and help.

“It has nothing to do with religion, other than it’s a student organization – the Catholic Student Association – leading Georgia State students to help at this shelter,” he said.

Prompted by a stated need to expand awareness about what students can do to help the homeless, Schlosser said the CSA has distributed flyers around campus asking for their time, clothes, blankets and extra food.

Students have responded fairly well, according to Schlosser.

“From the flyers, we’ve collected about maybe 100 blankets from Georgia State students that are

used for the indoor shelter.”

And blankets are very important, especially as the temperature begins to drop with the change of the season, Schlosser said.

“Last year at least one person froze to death that was just too cold, and that blanket could have saved that person’s life,” he said.

“

It has nothing to do with religion, other than it’s a student organization ... leading Georgia State students to help at this shelter.

“

ChrIS ShattUCK News editor

Located at the heart of a city with one of the nation’s most heavily concentrated homeless populations, policing the campus of Georgia State provides a unique challenge, Carlton Mullis, the director of university police, said.

“It’s an ongoing problem that we deal with,” Mullis said. “We have a large population of homeless – people who are in downtown, so this is one of the large congregating areas because a lot of the servicing centers are here.”

Because of the unique problems facing the homeless community, including potential “mental illness or substance abuse issues,” university police receive additional training in how to deal with potentially unstable individuals.

“Our biggest way [in addressing the homeless issue] is probably our Crisis Intervention Team,” Mullis said. “We have a large part of our officers, probably over half our patrol officers, are trained in that program.”

“It’s not just for homeless [people,] but it teaches our officers to recognize when a person is in what they call ‘in crisis’ with a mental problem and that may be better addressed through mental health rather than taken to jail.”

Still, he said police must be careful to address only the behavior of the homeless and not their residency status.

deCeMber 4

Officers arrested two GSU students for Alcoholic Possession under 21 Years Old. At 11:00 p.m. officers made contact with the two students and confirmed they were underage and intoxicated.

They were arrested, processed and released on a Copy of Charges.

University Commons

Officers arrested two GSU students for Alcoholic Possession under 21 Years Old. At 1:00 a.m. officers made contact with the two students and confirmed they were underage and intoxicated.

They were arrested, processed and released on a Copy of Charges. deCeMber 3 Freshman dormitory

Officers arrested a GSU student for Alcoholic Possession under 21 Years Old. At 8:30 p.m. officers made contact with the individual who was underage and intoxicated. She was transported to the hospital for observation and was arrested, processed and released on a Copy of Charges.

Freshman dormitory

The group is also preparing a variety of holiday celebrations for the homeless men’s shelters, as well as for the Gateway Center – a shelter for women and children.

For Thanksgiving they helped prepare a large meal for the patrons, and they have begun decorating and preparing gifts for the winter holidays.

“We made lunch for them and decorated the fourth floor of the building with a Christmas-type theme. We decorated the ornaments and decorated the gifts,” Schlosser said. “And when they saw so many students and other people volunteer, they were just overwhelmed.”

But Schlosser made it clear that physical contributions are not the most important thing to homeless people, in his view.

“The most important thing is just spending time with them,” Schlosser said. “I’m not just going to throw food at you. I’m not just going to give you money. I’m going to spend time with you and just hear your story and see if I can help out in any way and listen to what you have to say.”

policing the homeless “an ongoing problem” ChrIS ShattUCK News editor

University Commons

“What we are concerned with is behavior, not status. So if you’re behaving, certainly in the public areas, like Hurt Park, if you’re obeying the rules of the park, I’m not concerned whether you are homeless or not.”

Rather than arresting homeless men and women caught loitering or soliciting on campus the first time, university police frequently issue criminal trespass warnings, which gives a written notice prohibiting repeated behavior for a set period of six months to two years.

If individuals with active warnings appear back on campus, they face the possibility of being arrested on sight, Mullis said. But these warnings are only valid for university property, meaning that those frequently identified as homeless are free to go anywhere else.

In the month of November, university police issued approximately 26 criminal trespass warnings, according to daily crime reports.

These police reports often detail suspects that were “acting suspiciously” or “loitering” on university property, sometimes entering and exiting various buildings multiple times.

Other reports detail incidents where individuals were reported sleeping inside university bathrooms as well as taking plastic bags and paper towels.

Some of these individuals can be helped, and university police work with the Gateway Center, an Atlanta non-profit organization that shelters and provides services for the homeless.

Officers arrested a GSU student for Alcoholic Possession under 21 Years Old. At 10:00 p.m. officers made contact with the individual who was underage and intoxicated. She was transported to the hospital for observation and was arrested, processed and released on a Copy of Charges.

Piedmont North General area

Officers issued a Non-GSU individual a Criminal Trespass Warning. At 4:06 p.m. officers were advised the individual received a parking citation and that he became verbally combative. He was issued a C.T.W. and was escorted off campus without incident. deCeMber 2 Student recreation Center

A report was filed for Theft. The complainant, a GSU staff member stated, at 4:00 p.m. after receiving a bank statement of insufficient funds from an account a GSU student advised her she had been taking money from the account. The case is being handled

by Investigations.

General Classroom building

A report was filed for Threatening/Harassing another Person.

The complainant, a GSU student stated, on 11/07/11 at 11:00 a.m. she began receiving harassing phone calls, emails and text from another GSU student. The case is being handled by Investigations. deCeMber 1 Sports arena

Officers arrested a Non-GSU individual for Disorderly Conduct and Failure to Leave Campus. At 8:37 p.m. after advising the individual to leave the Sports Arena he returned. Officers made contact with the individual and he became verbally combative and refused to cooperate with officers. He was issued a C.T.W. and was arrested, processed and transported to Fulton County Jail.

Library Plaza

A report was filed for Theft of Lost or Mislaid Property. The complainant, a GSU student stated, at 9:50 a.m. she left her cellular phone unattended and when she returned at 10:04 a.m. she noticed it was missing. The case is being handled by Investigations.

Library South

A report was filed for Theft of Lost or Mislaid Property. The complainant, a GSU student stated, at 11:00 a.m. he left his backpack containing various items unattended and when he returned at 11:10 a.m. he noticed it was missing. The case is being handled

by Investigations. turner Field Parking Lot

A report was filed for Theft of Lost or Mislaid Property. The complainant, a GSU student stated, at 4:30 p.m. he left his backpack containing various items unattended and when he returned at 7:45 p.m. he noticed it was missing. The case is being handled

by Investigations.

opINIoNS

❚ ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:

do the holidays truly bring the best out of people?

www.gsusignal.com/opinions

Shame on the adminstration With record-breaking numbers of students being accepted and graduating from Georgia State, you would think now would be the perfect time for administrators to start celebrating.

Instead, as hundreds prepared to graduate in the Georgia Dome at the end of this semester, those same administrators have dashed the chances of others to do the same in the future.

Unlike in previous years, when Georgia State held a commencement ceremony for both its winter and spring classes, the administration has apparently decided the students this winter will be the last class deserving of that honor.

In a supposed cost cutting maneuver, the university administration has settled on postponing the ceremony until the spring, so that both groups will graduate together.

However, the problem with this reasoning is that it ignores the goals and plans of our potential alumni. For starters, it is assumes that students have the luxury of waiting several months to attend a commencement ceremony.

Their reasoning assumes that these graduating students have the time to just wait around another five months to get the full recognition they deserve.

This assumption by school administrators belies a general problem within the upper echelons of those with power over public education.

Like the cuts to HOPE and other anti-student policy changes in the last year, those in power have shown a persistent tendency to put their balance sheets over students.

Yes, these ceremonies cost the school lots of money, but if there is a single event worth spending any money on, then it should undoubtedly be on the recognition of the school’s graduating class.

And rather than forcing these students to postpone their recognition, we should be holding them up as examples for the rest of us not fortunate to have finished our degrees yet.

After all, every other large, public research university in the state holds a major commencement ceremony for its graduates at the end of each term, including Georgia Tech at the dome. We look foolish and uncaring to not do the same.

Everyone involved in the decision to eliminate winter commencement, from the University Senate, the Deans Group, the Administrative Council and the Student Government Association, should be ashamed.

So while we congratulate those graduating this semester, we cannot help but feel as though the school thinks their of their graduation not as a celebration but as a financial burden.

FroM the edItorIaL board reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of The Signal, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors

THE SIGNAL Editorial Board Miranda Sain, Editor in Chief • Mishall Rehman, Managing Editor • Chris Shattuck, News Editor • Sebastian Wee, Associate News Editor • Angel White, Campus Life Editor • Saakib Zafrani, Sports Editor • D.J. Dunson, Associate Sports Editor • Brooke Marshall, Entertainment Editor •Paul Demerritt, Associate Entertainment Editor • Bennett Greer, Production Editor • Aysha Johnson, Assistant Production Editor • Brittany Williams, Online Editor • Savanna Keo, Copy Editor • Miles Keenlyside, Copy Editor • Alicia Johnson, Copy Editor • Judy Kim, Photography Editor

Yep, manners are DEAD puts her potentially poop covered hand on the knob of the bathroom door, and vacates the woman’s restroom. [Insert expletive] come on! I too have to touch the poop knob now, or be forever trapped in the Aderhold loo.

In a perfect world this gal has a gallon jug of Purell in her backpack, but ours is not a perfect world. Infesting the door knobs and handrails on the world with your excrement, sneezing on keyboards and coughing without a hand in front of your face to catch your nasty mouth juice is not only super-icky-gross, it’s top three on my rudest things ever list! terah boyd associate News editor

Please allow me to preface this with the knowledge that I break out in cold sweats when I find myself at a dinner table with multiple glasses or worse; more than one fork.

And yes, when I make my annual pilgrimage to church on Easter Sunday my Grandmother continues to scowl at the fact that I have donned un-creased slacks instead of a pastel dress.

But if you are a person fortunate enough not to have been raised by a pack of wolves, there are a handful of common sense rules of politeness that should be pretty standard issue, especially here at school.

A few actions I witnessed this week on campus led me to near violent fits of rage and tyrannical outbursts. Fortunately I was polite enough to refrain.

CELL PHONES

During a group presentation that counted as our class’ final exam grade, I watched each of the members of our assigned team take their turn to speak. One student, after narrating her piece of the project, reached into the breast pocket of her jacket to retrieve her cell phone.

I gave her the benefit of a doubt; maybe she was checking the time. Her eyes scanned the images her sleek smart-phone, followed by a chuckle. A chuckle! She then proceeded to write a thoughtful response to the message before replacing the phone in her pocket. A few moments later an ambiguous buzz prompted her to once more locate the phone, followed by another chuckle.

I know it’s rude to stare, but I was shocked! While I was trying to scrape my jaw off the floor I was again surprised to discover that that only a handful of students seemed to be as shocked as I was.

The check out counter at the grocery store, the car swerving in front of one on the interstate, and obnoxious beeps on the fifth floor of our library are constant reminders of how cell phones provide new and improved ways for people to showcase how base, dumb, and absolutely inconsiderate they can be.

One could stand on a soap box for days dissecting the ways constant communication is killing our culture, but I have more shocking tales of rudeness to expose.

BATHROOMS

Again, this is a subject that is a constant source of pity and rage for my fellow man.

While washing up after class and attempting to snake charm my medusa mane, a fellow lady student walked out of a restroom stall as I was collecting my things. We were the only two in a bathroom equipped with six stalls and four sinks.

We exchanged polite bathroom smiles, and as I turn from the sink she exits the stall,

MERGING

I don’t have it in me to fight the good fight that is road rage…but let me start with this one battle.

OK, Mr. Toyota Prius, with your clean emissions, how did you get on the interstate today? Where you dropped from the heavens, magically becoming one with rush hour traffic? No, you had to merge on to the roadway.

Funny, I too am attempting to make my way on to the Connector. The only problem with that, Mr. Toyota Prius, is that as I slap on my blinker to let you know I’m coming, I see you accelerate in an attempt to pass me before I am safely on the highway.

The bad news is that you are softer than the brick wall I am about to hit, so I continue my journey into traffic. The good news is you have decent brakes.

you flick “ Would someone off

in the grocery store… No, you would be polite and say, “Excuse me.

“

FroM the edItorIaL board

After my fellow commuter let me know they were not pleased with my necessary merge, (I received a plethora of honks and strange gestures until Courtland Street), they proceeded to cut me off at my exit. I soon learned that aside from being environmentally conscious, they too attend Georgia State University. Great, I bet you cash money that I end up sitting next to this jerk next semester.

How can nice descent people get behind the wheel of an automobile only to become raving lunatics? We forget that a minor car crash could really hurt or kill someone. We forget that the person in the other car is a person.

Would you flick someone off in the grocery store, if their cart came too close to you in the freezer isle because they are pricing a Totino’s Pizza? No, you would be polite and say, “Excuse me.”

As you wade through the un-pushed-in chairs of our classrooms and step over the trash in our courtyard, keep in mind that we are all in this together. Politeness isn’t a formal courtesy; it is looking out for your fellow student, paying it forward, you know…golden rule type stuff.

As we embark on this Holiday season, let’s try and use an empathetic eye and think about the decisions we make and how they impact others. If this is possible I think our campus next semester will be a happy place.

06

opINIoNS | THE SIGNAL

Occupy Wall Street exposes police state in its infancy

MILeS KeeNLySIde opinions editor

The protesters of the Occupy Wall Street movement took to the streets to draw attention to corporate greed and the uneven distribution of wealth in the United States. In the end most media attention they got wasn’t for their economic messages, but for the extreme treatment that they suffered at the hands and boots of the police. If the protesters can’t expose corruption in the highest echelons of the banking system, perhaps they can expose the much more pressing and perhaps frightening development in the United States: The extreme militarization and illegal tactics of the police in the United States.

Over the years, the escalation of the “War on Drugs” has lead to increasing number of police stations across the country to begin training their officers in the use of more sophisticated weaponry and tactics. Due to fear mongering on all levels of government, the United States citizenry has sat silent over the years, believing that the increasing military style presence of the police all around them was for their own protection.

So when I show up to a peaceful protest in my hometown of Atlanta only to have it broken up by what I could only describe as black-clad, club wielding storm troopers, I begin to worry. So in this, our beautiful “land of the free”, what are the freedoms that we hold so dear? Our freedom of speech is threatened. The government is voting on things like SOPA and Net Neutrality in order to limit our access to information online. Our freedom of press is limited. Media conglomerates control our media, and use their influence to seek private gains.

Our freedom of religion is suppressed. Muslims in our nation are treated as outsiders and terrorists. And now we finally know that our greatest strength, our freedom to peaceful assembly is being slowly chipped away.

Overseas, we condemn the use of force against peaceful protesters. When demonstrations break out in the middle east, the White

House is quick to hold a press conference where they “urge” the leaders of the country to “use restraint” when dealing with the protesters. At home, our police are using tactics and weaponry that our Marines in Iraq are prohibited from using on peaceful demonstrators.

In many countries, police are unarmed and drive highly visible vehicles painted in reflective paint. They wear reflective vests and are trained to be approachable and friendly so that they can better serve the citizens in their area. Now consider the police here in Atlanta. They dress in all black with a firearm on their hip. They drive supercharged cars with dark paintjobs and black tinted windows. I don’t know about you, but the police officers here in Atlanta don’t look very approachable to me; they look more like they are about to invade Poland.

In Oakland, Marine Scott Olsen received brain damage and was hospitalized after being struck in the head with a “less than lethal” 40mm tear gas projectile at the Occupy Oakland protest. Do you know why the police refer to them as “less than lethal” weapons? They are not legally allowed to call them “non-lethal” weapons because these weapons can still kill you. Or how about the elderly woman who was pepper sprayed in the face at Occupy Seattle? Or the students who where seated peacefully with interlocked arms who were pepper sprayed by an officer with such a casual swagger that it became an internet meme? When will it alarm people that the police are so ready to use these weapons against demonstrators? When the police are so ready to use these weapons on peaceful demonstrators, they are not serving or protecting our interests.

Our media is even actively coming to the defense of the police and the tactics being used. Fox News has accused Occupy movements of running “rape camps” and hiding “weapons caches” in parks. A demonized movement is an easily suppressed movement.

Megyn Kelly came to the defense of police officers using pepper spray by saying it is “essentially” a food product. The complacency of the media when it comes to the clearly coordinated actions of the police is worrying.

So next time you are driving along as a law abiding citizen and you get that twinge of fear when you see the dark police cruiser glide up behind you, ask yourself this: What has gone wrong when you fear the ones who are meant to protect you?

DISCLAIMER Opinions and Letters to the Editor expressed in The Signal are the opinions of the writers and readers. It does not reflect the opinions of The Signal.

The Signal reserves the right to modify and/or reject letters at the discretion of the editorial staff.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

Letter to the editor

“Personhood” defeated

During the last election, Mississippi voters defeated a ballot initiative known as the “Personhood Amendment” or Initiative 26. This initiative attempted to make an amendment to Mississippi’s state constitution that said life begins at fertilization of the egg. 58 percent of Mississippians voted against the bill in a state with a long history of prolife sentiment and legislation.

The initiative, which supporters thought would challenge nationwide abortion laws and rights, attempted to establish very general legislation in an effort to make it nearly impossible for a woman to have an abortion. It not only would have accomplished this but it could have suppressed women’s ability to gain certain types of birth control, fertility treatment and fertilization counseling. While it was defeated in Mississippi many are fearful that a more succinct and less sweeping form of the initiative may emerge, making it more palatable for voters in other states.

Thankfully, Mississippi voters, like Colorado voters twice before, came to their senses and realized the potential implications of passing the initiative. Certain types of birth control, because they can kill fertilized eggs, might become illegal to obtain.

Providing emergency birth control such as the “morning-after pill” to rape victims would almost certainly become illegal. In Vitro fertilization

techniques could become illegal because of the disposal and use of fertilized eggs. Women carrying fertilized eggs might effectively lose their legal rights because they “house” another person. Such an amendment would be unconstitutional because it is in direct conflict with Roe vs.

Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.

It was the very general and selfishly delusional terminology of the initiative that effectively turned off voters and their support. The Personhood pro-life supporters heralded the amendment when first introduced as a no-brainer right wing vote. When the implications of its passing became apparent, it began to lose support from normally conservative followers.

The initiative attempted to change too much at once. This made many supporters uncomfortable. Even Republican politicians such as Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour admitted struggling with “Personhood” before eventually voting for it because he is pro-life. Barbour wanted the wording of the bill to be ironed out in the state legislature before being given to voters.

It is this editing and “ironing out” of the initiative which is most dangerous to many pro-choice supporters. Personhood USA has already failed to pass such legislature twice in Colorado and now once in the much more conservative Missis-

sippi. We can now look for more succinct forms of the initiative to reach the voters in other states.

Attempts are currently being made to have the initiative put on ballots in Montana, Ohio, Florida, Nevada and California. Personhood USA officials have already said that they may attempt a re-wording of the initiative and reintroduce it in the states where it has already failed.

This relentlessness to have their initiative passed should frighten pro-choice advocates. It is easy to identify such bills when they are labeled “Personhood Initiative” or have extreme language. It may be more difficult to identify and rally against such bills if their wording is changed and their support is unified.

Voters in the states where such initiatives are already suggested should be wary of attempts by personhood advocates to increase their following. They may do this by supporting legislation that supports abortion access restriction or even by gaining the support of religious groups with anti-abortion stances.

The defeat in Mississippi is positive. It makes us think that if such a conservative state can oppose such an initiative it can be done in any state. This may be true in its current form, but without due vigilance we may find ourselves fighting to maintain ground against similar initiatives in the future.

CraIG dUNN

reigniting the environmental Concern

JUdy KIM Photography editor

As the 2012 election approaches, presidential candidates debate largely on the topics of social and international concerns.

Environmentalism has been thrown to the back burner, and many seemed to have forgotten that the environment still directly affects our everyday lifestyle and our future generations.

For example, look at the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill or the BP oil spill disaster. The spill date was on April 20, 2010, and the well was not officially sealed until mid-September of the same year.

Nearly six months of unregulated and unaccounted oil covered the shoreline and the top surface of the ocean – and people only cared about what they could see.

According to an article written by Abrahm Lustgarten from ProPublica, BP had to use a chemical dissolvent called dispersants to get rid of the surface oil.

The solution made by two mixtures containing a certain amount of

toxicity that has been associated with headaches, vomiting and reproductive problems.

Not only did this particular environmental catastrophe damage animal and plant life, but it also destroyed the fishing industry and tourism – and it can have extensive damage to the health of the human population in the area.

Since then the United States government has continuously allowed BP to drill its product on our soil despite several past offenses – the largest being the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.

Several people have called for the debarment of BP, but to cut off the third largest oil company in the world could create devastating repercussions in the global economy.

Recently, Republican representatives have proposed a plan to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because they believe that the EPA is destroying small businesses.

From the ThinkProgress publication, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, “I want to replace, not reform EPA, because [the] EPA is made of self-selected bureaucrats who are anti-American jobs, antiAmerican business, anti-state government, anti-local control, and I don’t think you can reeducate them.”

First, not only do I find Gingrich’s statement to be extremely outlandish and cringe-worthy, but very ignorant as well. How was he able to say that the bureaucrats were self-selected?

The EPA’s Head Administrator is appointed by the president and then approved by the Congress.

How is the EPA anti-American?

The EPA represents America when disputing with other internation-

al corporations and countries about how they utilize our territory and demand that they respect it – the EPA fights for our health and well-being as a whole.

And who said that the EPA is against American businesses? The EPA’s goal has always been plain and simple: to protect our citizens from water, air, pollutions and any other environmental hazardous concerns, never to harm specifically American businesses.

If a business is to get in the way of these safety concerns anyway, should they be allowed to operate? I say nay, especially because there are several other businesses out there that are more than willingly to conduct their business with a green sense of mind.

Having environmental regulations and requirements is a must in our country, because it is indisputably more important to have the health of our population prioritized above the businesses who are greedily abusing the environment for their own profits.

I am not saying that we can manage without businesses operating effectively in our country – I’m just saying that these businesses need to keep the environment in mind because our health and well-being are directly affected by their decisions.

It would be nice and actually more helpful to assess presidential candidates if they debated about environmental issues, of how they intend to invest in alternative energy, of what kinds of “green” plans they have, of how they would like to encourage our country to preserve the lands we live on and what they would do personally to ensure that the air we breathe would be as clean as yesterday’s.

07

opinions | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, December 6, 2011

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SpoRTS www.gsusignal.com/sports

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the Bowl Championship Series and its controversial selection process: Will we ever have a playoff system?

ChrIS ShaTTuCK / The SIGNaL

Led by shooting guard Rashaad Richardson and the conference’s top-ranked defense the Panthers have sprinted out to their best start since the 2003-2004 season. (Inset) Coach Ron Hunter

Hunterʼs Rebuilding Plan Ahead of Schedule Panthers race to best start in eight years

dJ dUNSoN associate Sports editor

On Mar. 21, 2011 Ron Hunter walked through the doors of the Student Center Ballroom and accepted the job as Georgia State’s men’s basketball head coach.

There, he boldly proclaimed that he would reverse the Panthers losing culture and take the program to places it had never been. He never lost as a player at Miami (Ohio), as a coach at IUPUI, and he made the same promise to Georgia State’s hibernating fan base. The future appeared bright—but it wasn’t supposed to arrive so quickly.

Most transformation projects take a few recruiting cycles to truly take effect. Common knowledge says that a new head coach requires a grace period to install a new style of offense and defense. Hunter appears to have done the bulk of his work in three games.

After going winless during a three game tip-off tournament in Seattle, Hunter tweaked the defense before the home opener against McNeese State.

“With the new staff and the system that we’re putting in, you only have two and a half weeks to practice before you start playing,” Hunter said. “We played some good basketball teams that are well established and all in all, I think we needed that.”

When the team was 0-3, this story would have been about Hunter’s Panthers crashing down to Earth.

Instead, the outlook hasn’t been this bright since Georgia State was an elite member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Since the winless start, the Panthers have rocketed into the stratosphere and allowed just 47 points per game en route to their longest winning streak since the 2003-2004 season. That team won seven in a row. Georgia State is currently in the midst of a six-game winning streak and appears poised to continue it.

The differences between the Barnes-coached Panthers and Hunter’s first season has been staggering to witness. Even after Barnes’ 8-6 record in January of last season, there was an underlying sentiment that the team was playing below its potential.

Throughout their current six-game winning streak, the Panthers have been closing out games strong, which is a complete 180 from last season when the team would regularly fall flat in the waning minutes. Fortunately, the Panthers closers during their winning streak have been their walk-ons as they’ve won each game by a comfortable average of 23 points per game.

After struggling to win on the road during Barnes’ tenure, the Panthers set a new school record for margin of victory in a road victory in a 31-point thrashing of South Carolina State.

The Panthers first road win of the season was a hard fought, 55-47 win over the Samford Bulldogs. Last November, the Panthers allowed the same Samford team to rally back from a seven-point deficit with 1:10 remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs escaped the Sports Arena with an overtime victory.

On Saturday, in Hunter’s CAA opener, the Panthers nearly cloned William & Mary’s point total in a 66-34 victory. The defensive effort came one-point short of breaking the Georgia State record for fewest points allowed. The defensive pressure was swarming so quickly that William & Mary often struggled to cross half court or to beat the shot clock, and William & Mary didn’t make their first shot from inside the threepoint line until the second half. By comparison, in their lone meeting of last season, Georgia State was dealt a five-point defeat. It may also be time to throw out the low pre-season expectations about the Panthers. In the CAA Preseason Poll, Georgia State was picked to finish 11th, William & Mary was sixth.

The most obvious difference from this season to the last has been the team’s blistering pace. While Hunter’s affinity for up-tempo offense has been a popular topic, the defense has been the primary component of their early success. Recently, Hunter has called this most athletic team he’s ever coached and that athleticism has been on display in their full court press and on the resulting fast break opportunities.

According to Hunter, the core values of his teams at Georgia State will be defending, rebounding and running, in that order.

“Our offense is created by our defense. You can’t

run and score points if you don’t get stops,” Hunter said.

As the consummate showman, Hunter has changed everything including which side of the court the team’s bench is on and introduced the idea of the arena going dark during player introductions.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do. I want it to be an event. When the students walk in there, I want them to feel excited,” Hunter said.

A side effect of Georgia State’s success has been the awakening of the fans as attendance and crowd intensity are both up. The rowdy no-sitting student section led by super fan Nick Bray has ruffled the feathers of opposing fans but has earned the admiration of Hunter and the team, who celebrate with them after every win.

The most extraordinary aspect has been that Hunter has accomplished all of this with nearly the exact same rotation that Barnes utilized.

Eric Buckner is establishing himself as one of the top shot blockers in the nation and ignites the crowd with his rim rattling dunks. Freshman swingman Tony Kimbro Jr. aka Kimbro Slice’s athleticism is unsurpassed and has also begun earning a reputation as great shot blocker. Senior Jihad Ali has also contributed his shooting touch as the team’s unofficial sixth man.

Although he loves the shot blocking of center Eric Buckner, Hunter believes the guards can improve in preventing dribble penetration.

The biggest surprise has been the play of quick trigger, three point specialist, Rashaad Richardson, who averaged only four minutes per game last season but has scored in double figures in three contests.

“One of the things when I first came in here, I told him I didn’t care if he played one minute or every second last year on the basketball team,” Hunter said. “I didn’t watch a lot of team on him last year because it was a new day at Georgia State and I’m more concerned about the future than the past.”

Although, the season is young, Hunter probably doesn’t heed caution. Back at his introductory press conference in March, Hunter quipped that in a year he envisioned Georgia State competing in the CAA Championship Game on ESPN. Perhaps he wasn’t joking after all.

10

SpoRTS | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

to Hill and back

SpOtLIGHt

dJ dUNSoN associate Sports editor

SaaKIB ZaFraNI / The SIGNaL

Kelton Hill celebrates after winning first start at the Homecoming game this year.

He passed for 209 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 45 yards.

Modern day sports pages are overflowing with tales of star athletes who wasted their talent and opportunity because of poor judgment off the field. This summer, Georgia State quarterback Kelton Hill II nearly became one of those stories. Despite reaching the halfway point towards earning his degree in education, Hill learned a valuable lesson this summer that couldn’t be taught in a classroom.

Along the way, Hill also took an unlikely path from running Georgia State’s practice squad in September to breaking numerous offensive records over the final five weeks of the regular season as the starter.

Originally, Hill almost didn’t end up at Georgia State. After passing for 3,993 yards and running for 1,688 yards and scoring 54 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Lithia Springs High School. Hill received offers from bigger Division I programs. However, his father, Kelton Sr., didn’t want him to stray too far from home.

Kelton Jr. was also a very good baseball player. So good in fact, that Kelton Sr. envisioned his son playing college baseball. Some schools even offered Hill dual scholarships to play both sports. Ultimately, Hill’s choices came down to playing football at

powerhouses such as Appalachian State, Alabama State, Middle Tennessee State and Georgia State. When it came time for Hill to commit to a college, he consulted Kelton Sr. “We started going on visits and he decided he wanted to stay close to home because he wanted his family’s support,” Kelton Sr. said. “He liked what Georgia State was doing and wanted to play for Coach Curry after hearing about him.”

As a freshman, Hill’s only snaps came from the Panthers’ Wildcat packages, and he threw the ball just 15 times but led the team in rushing yardage.

After the conclusion of spring practices, Hill emerged as the presumptuous starter for the 2011 season opener against Clark Atlanta. However, this summer everything nearly came crumbling down.

On June 22, Hill was arrested by Georgia State University Police and charged with felony forcible entry in connection with a June 17 campus burglary. According to a police report, Hill and another student entered the room of a student through an unlocked window and stole a laptop.

Hill was released on a $10,000 bond but was removed from the team’s roster ,and a few weeks afterward the investigation was turned over to Fulton County. The university also suspended Hill, and the majority of observers outside the program thought Hill’s days as a Georgia State student were done.

“Having a son, who has never, ever, ever got into trouble, never suspended from school, never had to go to the principal’s office, it was very shocking when I first learned of it,” Kelton Sr. said.

Fortunately, the charges were later dropped by the Fulton County District Attorney, who stipulated in a letter to Georgia State President Mark Becker that Kelton must graduate from college within the next four years.

However, Curry had stipulations of his own before Hill could fully rejoin the team.

Curry wanted Hill to apologize in front of the team, show remorse and tell his teammates that he’d made a terrible mistake which he would learn from.

After initially choking up and walking off the auditorium stage, Hill gathered himself and returned to deliver an emotional apology. Hill also asked to re-establish himself as the leader his teammates knew him to be.

They reacted by jumping up, hollering and immediately began embracing him.

Although Hill didn’t see any actual game action until midway through Georgia State’s defeat against Houston, he eventually became one of the brightest spots of the Georgia State offense. During the final five games of the season, Hill performed brilliantly with his combination of running and throwing ability.

“His accuracy has improved, his leadership has improved and he has come through some personal adversity this year as have all our quarterbacks, in a way that makes us real proud of him, but we just want him to continue,” Curry said.

In the meantime, Hill has avert-

Kelton Hill charges back from troubling summer ed trouble off the field, but because of his slim frame, Curry has emphasized that his 185-pound quarterback must also learn to avoid collisions on the gridiron.

“Trying to tackle him in the open field is almost impossible. He is gifted,” Curry said. “He’s not a quarterback that runs out of bounds or slides.

He picks a linebacker out and tries to hurt him. And usually it doesn’t hurt the linebackers at all but it hurts Kelton.”

Not only do Kelton Jr. and Sr. share a name but they also remain gracious towards Curry. Despite his reserved personality, Kelton Jr. heaped plenty of praise on Curry.

“That’s a great man, great dude, he’s a player’s coach. He looks out for his players.” says Kelton Jr. Kelton Sr. praised the way Curry handled his son’s return to Georgia State.

“The day he went through this, Coach Curry was on the phone and was on his way out of the country. We were on the phone with him and he talked about football being secondary,” Kelton Sr. said. “ [Quarterbacks] Coach Pew called us every other day telling us to keep our spirits up. We knew it wasn’t about football. It was about Kelton. It showed us that they were here for the athletes. We were elated that they hung in there with us.”

In the meantime, Hill has taken care of his responsibilities off the field and shown improvement on the field.

His responsibilities also include a mentoring group called the 4K Quarterback Club. Before each game, Kelton meets with young quarterbacks from age 8 to 16 and talks to them about life and football.

Hill is again expected to begin next season as the starting quarterback, but this time he’ll enter the offseason with more maturity.

“I’m happy he’s here at Georgia State, and I know we’re going through some growing pains,” Kelton Sr. said.

“I truly believe the pains we’re going through right now will help the team next year.”

BY tHe nuMBerS Position: Quarterback Height: 6’0” Weight: 183 Year: Redshirt Sophomore Hometown:Douglasville, Ga. Starts: 5 Passing Yards: 1,021 Rushing Yards: 609 Passing TD: 11 Rushing TD: 4 Facts: ❚ Rushed for Georgia State record 152 yards on 19 carries at West Alabama ❚ Scored school-record five touchdowns in regular season finale ❚ Led Georgia State to win in his first start against South Alabama

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twilight mania still going strong: What gives?

Giving birth to alicia Johnson Copy editor

consciousness

No finger snaps, no couplets or any rhyme schemes were needed at all. Even though there was a group of poets in the room, this was business.

A small, white room in the Student Center of Georgia State, was the strategy grounds of pure creativity. The only unpredictable sound was the rattle of the central air system, interjected by the opening and closing of the wooden door.

People who manage to use not only the right, creative, side of their brain in perfect harmony with the more logical, left side are few and far between. Student organization, Conscious Collective (C.C. as called by the group members), does just that. Made up of various students throughout the Georgia State community, these poets produce creativity in a way that still brings societal and personal issues to light.

Formerly known as Nomadic Ciphers, C.C. developed nearly a decade ago within the Office of African American Student Services and Programs. Collecting an aspiring teacher, a former musical lyricist and a committed community service advocate, among others, forms a conscious group to say the least.

One glance at any of these poets sparks creativity and an urge to influence others immediately.

The group’s goal is simple.

According to the group’s motto, they want to give “birth to consciousness without a need

for contraceptives.”

On Fridays, the E-Board of the organization meet to plan upcoming performances, discuss finances and critique their most recent poetry events.

The left side Kenny Golden, the president of C.C. for three years starts off by telling the others how proud he is of them.

Golden, a mid-level education major, got his start with poetry his freshman year at the Georgia State talent show. Although it’s been years, he still remembers the poem by heart. He’s thoughtful that way, steering the meeting in order to keep the others on track.

Within this session, the group decides on ciphers and other poetry events for next semester, one of them is centered on Valentine’s Day. David (D.J.) Williams, the most outspoken one of them all, gets excited when plans are being made.

“February is takeover the world month,” Williams said.

Until then, C.C. continues to hold weekly forums with other Georgia State students and perform at venues in Atlanta. The forums, held in the Urban Life Building, allow students to creatively vibe with C.C. At each forum, a large circle expands as more poets join; everyone with a pencil and paper in hand.

“Sometimes I wonder why time is so infinite and how I’m limitless,” Williams created.

This evolved from the ‘sometimes I wonder’ writing prompt given at the start of the forum.

In a constant effort to im-

prove their poetry and performance, members got in the middle of the circle and performed new poems, while being recorded to receive some healthy criticism before heading to poetry night at Urban Grind Café in midtown.

Fellow C.C. member Zakkiyya Anderson practiced her poem “Listener Discretion Advised” for the group. Anderson evoked immense amounts of emotion depicting her ideal mate. Consciousness filters into every part of her life, claiming she wants, “a man who is conscious of her every need.”

One of the most organic poets in the group is New York City native, Devan Pinckney. Pinckney, new to C.C. has been a poet since his life back in Manhattan and does more than simply deliver his poems for entertainment. “This spoken word is a piece of me ...

When I perform this for you, it’s really for me,” Pinckney rhymes.

C.C. seems to bring a New York State of mind with two other members originating from the Empire state. Shalom Little, a Brooklyn native, connects with poetry in a different way than the others. As a former hip-hop rapper since age 11, Little brings a more musical element to C.C. “It’s a transition,” Little said. “It helps me grow better as a rapper.”

These tactical individuals were replaced on the next encounter with black clothed, free-flowing poets that opened up their hearts and minds to complete strangers.

aySha JohNSoN | The SIGNaL

The right side Pinckney approached the barren space first. Barely through the door but eager to perform his poem, he began filling the faintly lit circle formed by unfamiliar creative souls with words.

Pinckney’s presence was solemn as he told the story of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship. He licked his lips in between the stanzas, emulating L.L Cool J’s signature gesture. He elevated his voice as the poem progressed, counting down the seconds until the woman shoots her abuser. This poem was inspired by a domestic violence discussion that took place in one of Pinckney’s courses.

A polar opposite performance was delivered by a smiling, energetic Golden before the anticipated C.C. group piece.

In a tag team manner, all of C.C. including a distinctly bold Brandon Roberts and Adam McIntosh, the group’s eloquent ambassador, recited separate verses between a common chorus. They were all high energy and this evoked onto listeners. The premeditation of their art made them confident poets, not a stutter or disclaimer in sight.

This confidence was felt by them too, “I know I did good,” Williams said.

While a more modest approach was taken by other members. “I can always work on my delivery,” Little said.

After the performance like many others, they all relaxed, gave each other hugs but they still did not abandon their poetry.

Anderson was in a corner reciting a poem from her note-

book to Pinckney who tried out some of his new material afterwards. A few steps away, Golden gave advice to Molly Beavers, a film major, on her stage presence. Beavers is currently co-president and gets anxious whenever performing in front of people, but C.C. has helped her with her nervousness.

“I really do love this organization, “ Beavers said. “It’s catered to people like me.”

The success of this night can only be contributed to the thought that goes into C.C. long before the lights shine on these individuals with eager ears listening for the first syllable. The mindful nature of C.C. allows them to make a mark wherever they step.

“I feel like we’re bigger than just a school organization.

(We) touch people in a different way,” Little said.

14

ARTS & LIVING | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

Student entrepreneur

Taking small steps to big future Ashleigh Atwell Staff Writer

If you have worn a Georgia State sports button or went to any of the Spotlight Concerts last year, you were exposed to Ryan Kulp’s handiwork. Kulp could be considered a jack of all trades. He has dabbled in everything from music to making gold teeth. Kulp’s latest project is his burgeoning design company, Mylar Designs.

“We do button printing, like merch buttons for bands, brands and organizations,” Kulp said. “We started that with Partipig and a couple of months ago started doing it as its own entity. Mylar is clean, shiny, plastic stuff on the button.”

Mylar Designs started out as a part of another business venture, PartiPig, an event planning company that began in September 2010. Although event planning companies are plentiful in Atlanta, Kulp found a way to cater to a market that has been virtually untouched.

“We did a little bit of everything---salsa nights and parties,” Kulp said. “But our spe-

cialty was hookah catering. We didn’t know anybody else that was doing it and we figured hookah was a cool thing to try.”

Although Partipig was fairly successful, Kulp decided that it was becoming a bit of a hassle and retired the business until he was able to commit fully to the project. “It really started to lift off this summer. We were doing 30 gigs a month at a couple places a week,” Kulp said.

“It got a little too crazy so we put it on the back-burner.”

The marketing major seems to have an eye for what may interest an audience. Like PartiPig before it, Mylar Designs is already generating buzz.

“We’re getting new customers every week, mostly through word of mouth. A lot of clothing lines and bands are constantly re-ordering and it’s cool to have that growth,” the senior said. “We’re always trying to find brands to cater to.

We’ve done all of the Georgia State athletic buttons.”

Although Kulp has had success with Partipig and Mylar Designs, these projects will not last after his graduation,

and he has even bigger aspirations.

“I won’t be doing either of these businesses in five years.

I have a couple of other projects right now with other partners that I think will take me to the next level of entrepreneurship,” Kulp said. He already has a big project in the works.

“I can’t say what it’s called, but I’m launching a brand of saki that will be nationally distributed hopefully by the beginning of 2013,” Kulp said.

“We’re also launching franchises for bubble tea bars and saki lounges to go along with the brand of saki.”

In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Kulp is in the process of writing his own book.

“I started writing my own book last year and about a third of it is done,” Kulp said. “It is called Professionalism in Flip Flops. It is about whether professionalism is about what our parents say. Whether it is a suit and tie or can it be shorts with flip flops, great attitude, a serious mentality and good ideas.”

Ryan Kulp

Ryan Kulp is getting a jumpstart on entrepreneurship through the launch of two businesses, PartiPig and Mylar Designs.

2. Make reservations

But not for your tummy and a two-seater table. Make reservations at the student study rooms in the library. During finals week, Libraries North and South most closely resemble the midnight premiere of a Twilight movie – a packed house. Prearranging a room ensures that you’ll have a quiet, comfortable area with space to spare. Reservations can be made in person or online by visiting the library website.

3.

Go digital.

Organizing group study sessions can be a hassle during finals week. To avoid conflict, form a Google group or use a video conferencing program like ooVoo to connect with numerous people at once. If you’re pressed for time, create flashcards on your phone with free apps like Flashcards+ or Flashcards*.

Courtney Boyd Staff Writer

Holiday cheer is here, and winter break is the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

But before you overdose on eggnog, remember that your academic duty calls. Here are a few tips to help you remain focused and finish the semester strongly.

1.

Sleep well and eat well.

Late nights and early mornings are parts of a college student’s life, but all-nighters shouldn’t be.

A study titled Effects of Caffeine and Nighttime Technology Use on Sleep Quality in College Students done by the Boston College School of Nursing found that students who do not get enough quality rest have greater daytime dysfunction than those who do not.

“The keys to finals prep are adequate rest and eating regularly. These will reduce your amount of stress and increase your energy and ability to focus on a given task,” Jon Boles, an exercise science major said.

He also advises, “Avoid greasy foods and late night snacking. Caffeine and energy drinks can easily backfire. All these things will help in the long run.”

While grabbing a McGriddle or hamburger and french fries in the cafeteria is a quick, easy way to have a meal, taking time to carefully choose nutrient-rich foods can boost your brain’s learning power. Try low-fat yogurt or fresh fruit for breakfast and whole-grain crackers with peanut butter or cheese for a snack.

4. Consult your on-campus resources.

The university provides a host of services that cater to your academic needs. However, many of them are specialty programs, so be sure that you meet the participation requirements in advance.

For example, Student Support Services only offers one-on-one academic counseling to students who demonstrate academic need and are first generation or low income or have a documented disability. The Department of Applied Linguistics & English as a Second Language (AL/ESL) provides tutoring to an incredible number of students. It only serves those enrolled in the Intensive English Program and all Georgia State students whose first language is not English. Normal hours are posted on the department’s website, but lab coordinator Dara Suchke can be contacted by phone at 404-413-5189 for information regarding finals week scheduling.

Some campus-wide, open-access labs are the Counseling and Testing Center, which offers several workshops and seminars including study and note-taking skills throughout the semester; the Writing Studio, a resource for all students and alumni who need help with and tutoring in English composition and related areas; and the Language Acquisition & Resource Center (LARC), which reaches more than 3,000 students enrolled in language classes through an array of resource materials, tutoring and tape exchange. Students who are not enrolled in language courses can purchase full access to the lab for $5 per semester.

“The LARC offers a variety of resources to help you succeed in learning any language.

We have Rosetta Stone, native-speaking tutors and text books. I’d recommend coming to the LARC before and especially during finals week,” Ashley Joseph, a LARC student assistant said.

Preparing for finals can be a stressful process. Remember to eat well, get plenty of rest, be resourceful, relax and enjoy your well-deserved break!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

ARTS & LIVING| THE SIGNAL

15 (Left) Tapestries hang from a store in Las Pais, a beach on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. (Below) Georgia State students hike up Cerro Chato with Touch the Earth program director Carson Tortorige.; (Bottom Left) Sophomore Soraya Farivar rides her horse Comandante – or Commander in English – down the slopes of Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Judy Kim / The Signal

JUDY KIM Photography Editor

The day-long hike on Cerro Chato was not something one would have expected as part of a Thanksgiving vacation.

You could pounce on soft white sand and splash in the warmth of the cold Pacific – making sure not to grab several slender green vines to pull yourself up on steps too high for their stature. It’s hot, the air is sticky but not too much since the country of Costa Rica is making their transition from wet to dry season during November.

At the end of the hike you can feel renewed and empowered despite possible battle scars. At night, other students and I wandered around a little town known as La Fortuna next to Volcane Arenal.

Once our Touch the Earth group hit the beach of Las Pais, I kicked off my chacos and let my body soak up the sun to relax.

Students like sophomore Soraya Farivar beats harvested coffee to break the beans out of their shells in Las Brisas, a coffee and plantains farm in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

A laid-back or lazy life, you might think?

But no one judges you because relaxation is the way of life. The people here have good morals, never wasting anything they were given.

Their day starts early, 6 a.m. to be exact, but they stop working once the sun goes does at 5 p.m., then they mingle and mull around until whenever they fall asleep – which is typically early as well.

A man trucks a large icebox full of pipas around to hand out fresh beverages.

Pura vida is quite the understatement. here.

Sophomore Soraya Farivar beats harvested coffee to break the beans out of their shells in Las Brisas, a coffee and plantains farm in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Judy Kim / The Signal

16

ARTS & LIVING | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

Holiday Albums 1. Christmas with the Rat Pack

This album contains 20 Christmas songs sung by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin. It’s classic, and the last track is Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin singing a duet of “Marshmallow World.”

2. Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, Vol. 2

Even if you don’t watch Glee, this Christmas album is irresistibly fun.

3. A Very She & Him Christmas

KeNdaLL harrIS Staff Writer

6. Christmas in Harlem

I know what you’re thinking-Kanye West has a Christmas single? It’s nothing like any of the other albums on this list, but it’s signature Kanye-in-your-face and cleverly written. And when else are you going to hear Kanye West say that something is “deericious”?

7. Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album

Yes, another Glee album. Kurt and Blain’s version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is beautiful.

If there’s anyone in the world who could make a classic song like “The Christmas Waltz” even more beautiful, it’s Zooey De- 8. A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra schanel. This album is charming and warm. Who can resist Frank Sinatra? This album is elegant and simple.

4. Have Yourself A Very K.T. Christmas

Holiday songs are an age-old tradition, but they’re making a huge comeback this year.

In 2011 alone, Justin Beiber, the cast of Glee, She & Him, Carole King and Michael Buble’ all released Christmas albums this year. So whatever you’re into, find your favorite and get in the Christmas spirit!

If you’re sick of Christmas songs being sung 9. Charlie Brown Christmas exactly the same every year, this album is Every generation loves Charlie Brown. This for you. K.T. Tunstall could make anything is an adorable touching album that you can sound original and new, and her rendition listen to with your family. of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is 10. A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 1 fantastic.

This album has Stevie Nicks singing “Silent 5. Snowfall-The Tony Bennett Christmas Album Night,” Madonna singing “Santa Baby” and This is another classy Christmas album. Run-DMC singing “Christmas in Hollis”Tony Bennett’s voice is flawless. need I say more?

THE SIGNAL INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF

ALL SET FOR NEXT SEMESTER? Start next semester off right by completing ALL the steps of the enrollment process on PAWS/GoSOLAR! STEP 1: Run a Program Evaluationto Review Remaining Course Requirements and Schedule Advisor Appointments as necessary

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STEP 4: View and Pay Chargeson PantherPay

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STEP 5: Print your Course Schedule

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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. TWO (2) TICKETS PER PERSON. EACH TICKET ADMITS ONE (1).

SEATING IS BASED ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY. TICKET DOES NOT GUARANTEE ADMITTANCE. THIS FILM IS RATED PG-13 FOR LANGUAGE INCLUDING SOME SEXUAL REFERENCES.

For more information go to

www.gsu.edu/onestopshop

IN THEATERS DECEMBER 9 www.newyearseve-movie.com

Lifestyle 01 Beautiful George and Jonathan (Self-Released) from The Grove 02 Live 3:33 (Parallel Thought)

03 Highlighter People Under The Stairs (Piecelock 70) 04 Dive Tycho (Ghostly International) 05

George and Jonathan- This synth-pop group infuses 80s rock with quality production to form an easy listening gamers’ soundtrack and likeable album.

Madness in Miniature

Death Samba 07 Hell J.C. Satan (Slovenly) Gold 08 Nothing Joakim (Tigersushi) Crawler / The Dream 09 Carrion Thee Oh Sees (In the Red) and Rarities 10 Essentials Jean Michel Jarre (Ais) Quilt

Quilt (Mexican Summer)

2007-2010 12 Singles Ty Segall (Goner) Spanish Female Singers 13 Chicas!

Various Artists (Vampisoul) Beware 14 CoCo Caveman (Magic Man!)

The Roots – Undun JeaN-FraNÇoIS GÉrard Staff Writer

Mr. Gnome (El Marko)

Stream 06 Gentle The Amazing (Subliminal Sounds)

11

Quilt- Quilt delivers feelgood music to listeners that compliment a relaxing day on the beach, using steady tempos and smooth vocals.

Penetrating The Roots universe is not always easy at first listen, but as you go into the Philadelphia jazz/ rap band’s atmosphere, it brings you a quiet withdrawal of the world.

After teasing us with the first single “Make My” and other following short video clip leaks of “Stomp” or “Sleep,” their new album Undun releases on Dec. 6. Undun is more than a simple album, they made it a project. This project is a concept-centric album that we can’t describe best than the Roots themselves do. Undun

15 Blouse Blouse (Captured Tracks) As Me 16 Bad Tom Waits (Anti)

17 Reworked/Remixed Trentemoller (In My Room) 18

Mike Posner – The Layover ZaCK KraIMer

Staring At the X

Forest Fire (Fatcat Records)

Riding on the momentum of his somewhat meteoric rise to fame, recent Duke graduate Mike Posner already has a 21-track mixtape ready since releasing 31 Minutes to Takeoff last year. The new mixtape, called The Layover, is much like his

Goes to Town 19 Wolfroy Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Drag City) Release 20 Bliss Cloud Control (Ivy League Records)

21 Parallax Atlas Sound (4AD) Up, We’re Dreaming 22 Hurry M83 (Mute)

KeNdaLL harrIS Staff Writer

24 MacheteVision Marq Spekt & Kno (QN5) Out 25 Spills Pterodactyl (Brah Records) Wittenberg Orca 26 Mount Dirty Projectors & Bjork (Domino)

28

Walt Wolfman

Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian)

Done 29 Neva Grap Luva (Redefinition Records)

30 Replica Oneohtrix Point Never (Mexican Summer)

is the semi-fictional story of Redford Stephen told through an intern dialogue. The few guests the Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. and long time affiliates P.O.R.N., Phonte and Dice Raw fit into the concept and spent many hours rewriting these songs to get everyone on the same page.

It is hard for a band to continue to make creative music after 12 albums, and the Roots keep doing what they do well, even if they are slightly more abstract in this project. It lacks a little more eccentricity and creativity to make it a total masterpiece, but this album may be one of their best.

The unbelievable artistic work invested in this album forces listeners to not merely listeng to the music but experience it. Some tracks like “Sleep” are musically more abstract than usual, but it really tells a story. This is shown in the release of an online 10-minute black and white movie with tracks and quotes of Malcom X and Norman Cousins between them to illustrate this tragic story.

These creative lyricists tend to realize the perfect blend of energy and cool rhythm. Listening to it gives you energy for the day and can appeal

to all, even for those who aren’t hiphop fans. Not to mention it is always a pleasure to rehear Black Thought’s sweet voice that makes the Roots recognizable among all.

“Stomp” is the most impressive track, a perfect balance of rhythm and smooth notes. These tracks stand out among the previous Root’s work because of their perfect use of the drums, fashioned with the piano, organs, R&B grooves and strings instruments. The collective use of instruments is simply impressive and provides the album real depth. The rhythm of the 40 minutes between rhythmic songs like “Lighthouse,” more quiet tracks like “I Remember” or the single “Make My” is worth noting. The alternation of men and women voices are another appreciated feature that brings diversity among the tracks.

The album ends with four intriguing instrumental tracks that are nice and surprising but not really what we expect. It opens your mind to iinterpret the project in a different way. More than the consistently pleasant musical performance, the total artistic work deserves an award.

past material in style but includes some covers that serve as both high and low points.

The material on The Layover isn’t going to shock anyone, with the possible exception of feminists in reaction to some of his lyrical content.

There are a few standout moments on the record, like the doo-wop swagger of “Traveling Man,” but even many of the tunes with A- and B-list guest features fall flat.

The covers that Posner chose are fairly widely performed—Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” have become mainstays in the acts of artists spanning many genres. Posner’s smoky near-whisper is well suited to “Wonderwall,” but the same can’t be said for Adele’s breakout hit. His performance on that track is so limp it’s cringe-worthy, so the reason for its inclusion in

the mixtape eludes me.

Posner isn’t bad at rapping, but even though there are a few sharp lyrical turns he straddles the line between crooner and rapper to the extent that he seems almost indecisive.

The beats are pretty minimalistic, but the production value is huge, so overall it sounds full and vibrant.

Fans of Justin Timberlake, hiphop, blue-eyed soul or misogyny (perhaps all four?) will find something to like about The Layover, but Posner sounds detached and dispassionate, especially compared to many of his contemporaries. He has a pleasant voice, but he doesn’t do anything particularly exciting melodically, although it sounds like he has the potential to do exactly that.

Luckily, this college boy has something to fall back on in case this music stuff doesn’t pan out.

Drinkify.org shakes things up

The Record 23 For Torae (Internal Affairs Ent.)

27 Acrobats Peggy Sue (Yep Roc)

17

ARTS & LIVING | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

Peggy SueThis United Kingdom songbird gives soulful vocals to sultry music on this album that is worth a listen.

What do you get when you throw three hung-over designers together and give them 24 hours to create a website? Drinkify.org- a website that gives you the perfect cocktail for any music selection.

Hannah Donovan, Matthew Ogle and Lindsay Eyink arrived at Hack Day in Boston with alcohol on the brain. The three soon came up with the idea for a campy website that gives drink suggestions for any artist the user searches.

“I think it was the perfect project for 24 hours, Donovan said. “It forced us to stay really focused and launch something simple and as a byproduct—silly.”

Drinkify uses Last.fm, a music website, and The Echo Nest, a massive music information engine, to generate drink ideas. Depend-

ing on the genre of the artist and the average tempo of the music, Drinkify will suggest a drink for you.

The website is “not something to take seriously,” according to Donovan.

In fact, most of the results are joking ones.

One of the most telling searches, according to Drinkify creators, is when a user searches Bob Dylan.

The website suggests a drink of half gin and half cough syrup.

Since the release of Drinkify, it has received a lot of attention from the online community. Alcohol brands have even expressed interest in the website.

So what does the future hold for Drinkify? “We never thought beyond those 24 hours, but since we’ve seen how popular it’s become, there are a few options.

We’ll see,” Donovan said.

Music Inspired Drinks The 2Pac

2 oz. Orange Juice 2 oz. Maotai The Christina Aguilera

8 oz. red Bull 8 oz. Half and half

The Britney Spears

8 oz. Vodka 8 oz. Club soda

The Phoenix

12 oz. Schnapps The Adam Levine

8 oz. Hennessy

The Outkast

8 oz. Cough syrup 8 oz. Finlandia Vodka

18

ARTS & LIVING | THE SIGNAL

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011

The Mediterranean meets downtown thaddeUS MorGaN associate Campus Life editor

r Here te

!

Regis

There are plenty of places that students can eat on Broad Street that can make your mouth water, but Ali Baba’s is the only place that offers a menu that’s full of food and caters to those with a foreign taste for Mediterranean culture.

Ali Baba’s Turkish and Mediterranean Delights offer gyros, hummous, baklava and notable falafel for students to enjoy.

“We won best falafel in Atlanta for four years in a row,” Timothy Atenda, an employee at Ali Baba’s said. “If you want some of our best stuff you should try the Turkish food, but we have other things too, like Greek flavors and American flavors.”

Everything in Ali Baba’s is made fresh that day, according to Atenda. So for all you traditional fast food lovers that like your food thrown out of a window, this is not the restaurant for you.

However, Ali Baba’s was originally started in order to give the community options in terms of foods that are available, instead of having to rely on the same burger and fries combination.

“We opened fourteen years ago in this location,” Atenda said. “We wanted to give the community the opportunity to eat quality, healthy food, with an entrée and a side for less than seven dollars for students.”

Ali Baba’s is still growing, with another location in Little 5 Points and plans to incorporate catering and delivery services next year.

ThaddeuS morGaN | The SIGNaL

Opened 14 years ago, Ali Baba’s is located on Broad Street and serves a variety of Mediterranean inspired food items.

But if you go to the Ali Baba’s on Broad Street between classes, don’t be surprised if you are greeted with smiles and friendly exchanges. They appreciate the student customers they have by providing discounts to students for certain entrées.

“Without Georgia State students, there is no Ali Baba’s,” Atenda said. “About 80 percent

of our customers are returning customers, and that’s because we treat people well.”

The menu is about 70 percent vegetarian, according to Atenda, and three different types of meat are offered in gyros: lamb, chicken and fish.

“It’s alright but there wasn’t enough meat for me,” Darius Sutton, a senior philosophy

major said when asked his thoughts about the food served at Ali Baba’s. “Other than that it was good though.”

Senior journalism major Tara Siddiq had a differing opinion, saying that she enjoyed the variety of food offered at Ali Baba’s, including the meat and vegetarian selections.

“The falafel at Ali Baba’s is so good,” she said. “So are the hummous and the grape leaves. It’s all good.”

There is not anywhere to eat inside the restaurant so students can take their meals to go or sit at the tables set up outside and enjoy the scenery.

The food at Ali Baba’s provides for a specific experience with specific dishes. They offer students food with strong flavors and plenty of options, including specials that change every week. But if you’re not sure that this food is right for you, there’s only one way to find out.

“We believe the food should speak for itself,” Atenda said. “So students should try it and see what they think.”

IF YOU GO...

Address: 60 Broad Street NW, Atlanta, GA Phone: (404) 681-3997 Website: www.alibabaatlanta.com

&

pUZZLES CLASSIFIEDS Word FINd

Classifieds

Lost or found any books, clothing, umbrellas, sunglasses, (etc.) this semester...? try lost.or.found@gmail.com (For non-clothing items, you should also contact GSu police) Wanted to buy do you still have your “commercial master” commuter-locker padlock, and no longer need it after this semester?

I need a couple, willing to buy yours.Call (404)941-0790 I still need a comfortable used backpack...(Similar to path ones) Color/appearance not as important as good price.

Call dean 404-585-7063 and thanx Laptop or netbook wanted by returning student. (need min.

2Gig ram) Also want to buy dragon naturally speaking. please contact (404)941-0790, asap.

Announcement: Grad student desperately seeking affordable/pro bono legal assistance in pursuing couterclaims in unlawful eviction/ breach of verbal contract case. If you might be able to help, as an attorney or by passing this plea on to an attorney, thank you. My personal, confidential contact number is 404585-7063.

SUdoKU

Cinefest Film Theatre

http://www.gsu.edu/cinefest

Georgia State University uLearn

http://www.gsu.edu/studentcenter Styles

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Facebook

cinefest movie times

Twitter Twitter

Itʼs time to clean out your locker!

WHATʼS HAPPENING ON CAMPUS!

The deadline to remove all items and locks from lockers rented through the Student•University Center is Friday, December 9, 2011.

Any items remaining in lockers after this date will be discarded.

Supported by Student Activity Fees

Cinefest Film Theatre is closed for renovation.

It is scheduled to reopen on Monday, January 9, 2012.

NO EXCEPTIONS

Happy Holidays!

Spring locker rentals will begin on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. Styles

Good Luck on Finals and Best Wishes to all New Graduates

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STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS http://gsu.orgsync.com

Try out

Mobile!

Use OrgSync on mobile devices without installation

Happy Holidays!

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CAMPUS EVENTS

www.gsu.edu/studentevents

Interested in performing on the Courtyard Music Stage during Spring Semester?

Application Deadline: Friday, December 9 The Courtyard Music Series exists to enhance and broaden the experiences of GSU students, faculty and staff by providing live musical entertainment in the Student•University Center. Our hope is that, by featuring a diverse group of musicians, this series provides GSU students the opportunity to showcase their talent as well as break through existing music boundaries of the GSU community.

Applications available at www.gsu.edu/studentevents.

Take Advantage of Discount Tickets!

Movie theatres, theme parks and other venues offer discounted rates to the GSU community through the Student•University Center.

DISCOUNT TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR

AMC Theatres • Biltmore House • Georgia Aquarium • Georgia Renaissance Festival • Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament • Regal Cinemas • Six Flags Over Georgia • Six Flags White Water • Tennessee Aquarium • Walt Disney World • Zoo Atlanta

More Information: www.gsu.edu/ticketdiscounts

Just Like a Native App

Mobile Beta

OrgSync Mobile can be used on any smart-phone and works just like a native application.

To access OrgSync Mobile, log in at www.orgsync.com.

OrgSync Mobile is in beta phase, and not all features are enabled yet. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, the full version of the site is just one click away.

Some devices will allow you to bookmark OrgSync to your home screen for quick access.

More Information Visit www.orgsync.com/ recent-updates/mobile

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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT www.gsu.edu/leadership

CONGRATULATIONS to the Fall 2011 recipient of the Nell Hamilton Trotter Award —

Kortney Easterly —

for her outstanding contributions to the university community!

x